Minimum Order Value - advice please

[Jeremy]

Hi

I am using Developer 6.1.3 and get a lot of low-value orders which are barely profitable, especially when payment is made by credit/debit cards. I am considering introducing a minimum order value of say £5.00 for credit card orders, in the hope that it will encourage customers to order extra items (and not discourage them from ordering at all).

I have read the advanced user guide about modifying the Perl scripts to prevent checkouts below a certain value, but I am wary of doing this because I don't have any Perl knowledge, and in any case this would affect ALL orders, not just the credit card ones. What I have in mind instead is to advise customers paying by card that the minimum order is £5.00, and that they have the choice of either increasing their order value by buying something extra, or that a surcharge will be applied by us to bring their order up to the £5.00 value.

If anyone has dealt with this same situation before I would greatly appreciate some advice around the following questions:

- Are minimum order values generally a good idea, or do they turn customers off?

- Is there an alternative 'technical' way of preventing small orders, rather than modifying the Perl scripts? Is this option available in version 7?

- Is my surcharge idea likely to offend customers? Is there a better way of doing it - eg adding a fixed charge to the order value when the credit card payment option is chosen?

Finally (and I would really like to know this for other reasons too), is it possible to arrange Actinic to display a tailored message to customers depending upon the value of the items in their basket as they move into checkout? - ie. if they hit the 'checkout' button with x value in their basket, can a message appear saying 'increase your order value to y and get free postage' or whatever.

Any comments much appreicated

Many thanks

Jeremy Arnold
www.magazineexchange.co.uk

[DaveT]

I can think of a theoretical way of doing it.

You have a cookie called CartValue in the site that gets used to display the cart value on each page. Why not write a javascript in the basket like:

<script>

var cartvalue = getCartItem(1);
var pound = cartvalue.substring(0,6);
var cartvalue = cartvalue.replace(pound,'');
var cartvalue = parseFloat(cartvalue);
var minimumOrderValue = 5; // minimum order value of 5.00

if (cartValue < minimumOrderValue) {
document.getElementById('checkoutX').disabled = true;
}
</script>

Then in your cart template, add the following to the checkout button:

<input type="submit" name="ACTION" value="NETQUOTEVAR:CHECKOUTBUTTON" class="cartbuttons" id="checkoutX" />

So until the order is over the pre-determined amount, the checkout button is disabled. This assumes the only way to checkout is via the checkout button in the cart.

[dscontroller]

Hi Jeremy,

I apply a minimum of £10.00 per order via 'Business Settings - Order - Minimum Value Limitations'. I am using 7.0.3, and I would think 6.1.3 uses similar, but of course I don't know for sure.

On the pages that show items for less than my minimum amount, I have a note pointing out the minimum purchase.

My site has been on the web for eight years and until the latter end of last year we allowed people to buy less than £5.00. As you say it is not cost effective. Although things are generally slow at the moment, we still get more orders over £10.00 than we used to get orders under £5.00 so I don't think it makes that much difference. Bite the bullet for a month and give it a try!

Hope this helps,

David

[Jeremy]

Thanks for both replies. The first approach scares me a bit because it's dabbling in areas I know nothing about, but the second reply is more my style. Version 6 definitely doesn't have the option you mention, so it's yet another reason to upgrade to V.7 I guess. I have been putting off going to version 7 as I have some heavily modified templates and am doubtful that the automatic updating utility would be able to cope with them.

Being able to set minimum order values easily (ie. without modifying scripts etc) will, as you say, allow me to experiment and make sure there are no adverse effects, which I am sure is the right approach.

Anyone got any comments on the other question - ie. having a 'tailored message' appear depending upon the value of goods in the basket?

Jeremy

[Mike Hughes]

I make it clear in my terms that there's a £5 minimum charge for CC orders but I don't enforce it. At the end of the day I'd rather have the customer and the order than not.

Businesses can and do put a lot of focus on making it easy for customers to buy. Putting up another barrier to people buying just doesn't make any business sense to me.

Mike

[dscontroller]

Hi Mike,

I think what made my mind up earlier this year, was when someone opted to buy an article at £1.99 by credit card. Hardly worth the charges and effort when you live out in the country and have to travel a few miles to a Post Office!

A friend of mine when I first started in business said ' It's the easiest thing in the world to buy work'!!

David

[Dek]

minimum order value

If you go to this link http://www.drillpine.biz/actinicstuff/
and scroll to the bottom, you will find a text file and some simple instructions. It is a hack but it works fine, this site has some great little tweaks on it to help with "extra" features.

In version 7 there is a menu option tick box to enable the minimum order value but it does not exist in version 6, hence the hack.

Dek

[Minute Man]

Minimum Order for Version 6

I had the same problem. I went to design options - shop defaults - header and typed in my minimum order amount. This reduced the small orders a lot. I just process the orders for those that don't see this message.

I think you will find that you will actually increase your sales if you set a resonable minimum level.

Doug

[Dek]

minimum order

I have a minimum order value set £10 at the request of my customer.

This is not a lot in the scheme of things, even someone wanting to buy stick tape at a couple of pounds will then buy 2 or 3 rolls to make up to the ten pounds.

It sounds a bit uppity but my customer does not want to be going through all the hassle of packaging, printing, posting etc... for an item with a total value of less than £10. The profit can ever only be £5 ish at an absolute maximum and when taking all time into considereation it is actually a loss.

I used to work on £15 as a minimum to cover administration costs then the cost of your product on top.

Anything less than a sale of £20 and you are not going to make any money.

The market dictates though that sometimes you have to accept smaller orders but this is not the way to make money.

Its dificult trying to find the balance between being a service, a charity and a profit making outfit that makes you a living.

[whizz]

OrderScript.pl

Hello
I am trying to set a minimum order value i changed OrderScript.pl, uploaded the store in anticipation and noticed nothing at all.

I checked via the FTP in my server and the file OrderScript.pl is not even there. I then uploaded it manually and still nothing happens.
What is going on in my shop?

[whizz]

OrderScript.pl

Just to say that it is all my fault as I set the wrong penny amount, wanting to put £10 minimum I put 100 pence instead of 1000 and so of course I didn't get the result. I now understand that the OrderScript.pl file itself doesn't upload. I live and learn.

The Advanced User guide is excellent and following the samples always works, apart from the whats in the basket script everything works. I have now got the minimum order value I wanted.
I shall make a different thread about the what's in the cart showing, but shall check first in the archives before I waste my time again. I have tried so many times to get the cart contents to show but to no avail.

[Duncan Allan]

When I first started I didn't have a minimum but over time I added a £10 minimum. And that is an order not inculding shipping as some customer thought.
The general public have a perverse sense of proportion - they will complaint not being able to buy the single item under £10 but happy to pay the shipping that exceeds the item cost!

However I find that it is the shipping costs that deter rather than any minimum level you set. I don't find it unreasonable to to ask for a level that allows a modicum of profit on the sale. Why pay to have people buy from you!?

Duncan